


Tangled Web

by feminabeata



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-06-05 21:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6723310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feminabeata/pseuds/feminabeata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Oh what a tangled web we weave<br/>When we first practise to deceive!"</p><p>Nam Woohyun is a musical actor, and Kim Myungsoo asks him to act as his boyfriend for the night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tangled Web

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [InfiniteRarepairFicathon2016](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/InfiniteRarepairFicathon2016) collection. 



> I didn't read the prompt closely enough. Everyone was supposed to bring a partner? Oops! Sorry if this disappoints.
> 
> The reunion was inspired by Reply 1997, the setting and the friendships.
> 
>  
> 
> **Prompt:**
> 
>  
> 
> when woohyun agreed to be myungsoo's (fake) boyfriend because 'there's this small reunion thing with my high school friends and everyone is bringing their partner and my ex is gonna be there with his fiancé and I don't want them to find out that I'm still single, hyung you're the only one I have', woohyun had not expected that they would be so into their roles, he was not sure what's real and what's fake anymore.

“Hyung, you’re the only one that I have.”

Woohyun turned to look at the other. Myungsoo was driving, and so his eyes were fixed on the road, ignorant of the anxious glance that Woohyun gave him. The words should’ve flattered him, but Woohyun felt burdened by them. “Not true,” he argued. “You could’ve asked Sungjong to do this. He probably would leave a better impression.”

Myungsoo shook his head, giving the other a tight-lipped smile. “He would’ve forgotten halfway through the night,” the driver retorted.

Woohyun gave in with a chuckle, “True.” He could foresee Sungjong dropping his cover halfway through the night and giving himself away with the slip of the tongue. Yes, this was a job that only Nam Woohyun could do. Woohyun faced forward again, grinning. “I won’t forget. I’m good at this kind of thing,” he bragged.

“Bluffing?” Myungsoo guessed, finally casting a glance over to Woohyun.

“Acting, acting,” Woohyun corrected him, trying to sound slightly offended but there was a smile spreading across his face. He couldn’t wholly deny it. He was good at bluffing too. Everyone knew it. It was practically a fact: Nam Woohyun is a bluffer.

“See,” Myungsoo responded with a smirk. He pulled the car into a parking spot and faced the other as he unbuckled his seatbelt. “You’re the only one that I have.” He then opened up the door and got out of the car.

Woohyun let out a shaky breath after Myungsoo closed the door before unbuckling his own seatbelt and following the other. He rubbed his palms together after getting out of the car. They were so wet and slick. His heart was racing faster and faster with every step that he’d taken. Woohyun has been on a stage hundreds of times before, but he hadn’t felt this nervous in a long while. However, if he could pull this off, it would be his greatest performance. A performance of an indeterminate time and all improvisation. He was acting as Myungsoo’s boyfriend tonight and joining a reunion of Myungsoo’s closest friends from high school, one of which was not just an ex of Myungsoo’s but his First Love. And Myungsoo’s First Love was showing up with a fiancé attached to his arm. In fact, that couple was the reason why they were all gathering tonight. The First Love was coming to town the first time in a year, just to celebrate his future blissful marriage with a handful of good friends.

Initially, Myungsoo had asked Woohyun to come just a friend. Woohyun was a newer acquaintance, and Myungsoo was eager to have his two social circles merge into one. But then it was announced that the fiancé was coming. And then Myungsoo told Woohyun that everyone assumed that they were dating. And then yesterday Myungsoo told Woohyun that he never corrected them.

It was a very indirect way for Myungsoo to ask him to be a fake boyfriend for the night, but it was also very forceful. Woohyun reluctantly agreed but he was also seconds away from calling Sungjong that very morning and telling him to be this so-called ‘boyfriend Nam Woohyun.’ Woohyun didn’t think that he could do it. He had less than 24 hours to prepare for this role, and he was going to perform in front of a critical audience. What if they didn’t like him? Then should he and Myungsoo dramatically ‘break-up’ right then and there? And the ex, was Woohyun supposed to make him jealous? Show him what he missed out on? Or was he supposed to help Myungsoo win him back before it was too late?

Woohyun wished he had a script or measly stage directions to go by. He needed direction.

Myungsoo noticed the other walking slowly in a daze and took a couple of steps back to join the other. He wrapped his arms around Woohyun’s shoulders, bringing him in for a quick and tight hug. Were they already acting now? “Don’t worry,” he told Woohyun before letting go.

Woohyun placed a hand over his heart and took in a deep breath in order to calm himself down. “I’m getting nervous,” he confessed.

“It’s just another performance,” Myungsoo tried to comfort him. “You can sing and dance in front of hundreds. This is nothing.”

That didn’t comfort Woohyun much. His training as a musical actor didn’t prepare him for something like this. But he didn’t want the other to know how much he was sweating underneath his jacket. “You want me to break out into a musical number in the middle of dinner? Sing about how much I love you?" he suggested. Then much to Myungsoo’s surprise, Woohyun broke out into song: “You’re my destiny. That gravity that pulls me. I can’t look away. You’re all I see.”

Myungsoo frantically looked around to see if anyone was watching them. There were none, but he still placed a finger over his smiling lips. And somehow embarrassing Myungsoo calmed Woohyun down, or at least took his mind off of things. “Only if it gets boring, then you can sing,” Myungsoo specified.

Woohyun grinned. He might have a chance tonight. There was bound to be a lull in conversation. “Let’s make it a duet then,” he proposed. He then brought a clenched fist close to his face, pretending like he was holding a microphone. “You’re my…” He broke off from singing and then put the ‘microphone’ in front of his partner’s face.

“Destiny,” Myungsoo sang only that word before placing a hand over the ‘mic’ and pushing it down and out of his face. “Ah, no, no,” he rejected the idea, in spite of giving in once already (Woohyun could probably make him sing later just like this, by raising the mood). Myungsoo picked up his pace and stepped in front of the other, reaching the door to the restaurant first. He gripped the handle and looked back at the other. “Are you ready?” he asked.

 _No_ , Woohyun thought, but he responded with: “Of course.” He put on the most confident smile that he could, and Myungsoo bought it, grinning in return, and opened the door.

When they step inside, they were almost immediately accosted by someone who appeared to be waiting by the door for them. Woohyun didn’t manage to get a good look at the guy before he lunged and wrapped his arms around Myungsoo. Myungsoo immediately hugged him in return, swaying a bit. Woohyun raised an eyebrow. _The ex?_

“Myungsoo-yah! We’ve been waiting for you!” the hugging man exclaimed. But then the hugging man stopped hugging. He pulled away, and Woohyun was finally able to get a good look at him. Long, everything was long. Like he was a big…long…thing. Even his bangs were long, even when permed, and fell beneath his eyebrows. Woohyun’s eyes flittered over to Myungsoo. Was this his First Love?

If it was, Myungsoo’s First Love seemed oddly excited about meeting his new ‘boyfriend.’ The hugger was bouncing on the balls of his feet just looking at Woohyun. “This is…” he began.

Woohyun stuck his hand out. “Nam Woohyun, pleasure to meet you,” he introduced himself. The other took his hand and shook it vigorously.

With his other hand, the hugger pointed a finger in Woohyun’s face. “Ah! The musical guy!” he exclaimed (does he say anything without shouting?). “I’m Lee Sungyeol.”

 _Ah so it’s not the ex._ Woohyun was relieved (but didn’t know quite why). Lee Sungyeol, if he remembered correctly, was Myungsoo’s best friend. They grew close after getting into a huge fight, involving punches and kicks (much to Woohyun’s surprise because Myungsoo always seemed so mild mannered). But both of them look back on that fight as the moment that they became best friends.

While Woohyun was deep in thought, Sungyeol yanked on Woohyun’s arm, pulling him in closer. He leaned in and whispered loudly into Woohyun’s ear, “I’m on your team.”

Woohyun pushed Sungyeol away after taking his hand out of the other’s grasp. “Huh?” he muttered as he rubbed his ear roughly with his hand. It felt itchy.

Myungsoo stepped next to Woohyun’s side again. “I told him about us. The real us,” he revealed in a low voice.

Woohyun cocked his head and looked Sungyeol up and down. “Can we trust him?” he asked.

“Of course! I’m a steel trap!” Sungyeol said proudly. “You would be surprised by what I know.”

Woohyun smirked. “What do you know?” he challenged.

“Well, do you know that guy…AH! You almost got me!” Sungyeol slowly caught on. He then patted Woohyun harshly on the back while laughing. “He’s a tricky one, Myungsoo. You’ll have to be careful around this guy,” he warned his friend while wagging a finger in Woohyun’s face. Woohyun was tempted to bite it, but then he concluded that biting the best friend was probably not the good way to go. So he tolerated it. “Come on, let’s go in!” Sungyeol finally let Woohyun go and walked ahead of the couple, gesturing at them to follow along, which they did.

“Sungyeol owns this place,” Myungsoo revealed.

Woohyun looked around the restaurant. It was nice and well kept. Turns out Sungyeol could be serious if he wanted to. “You do?” Woohyun directed the question to the owner.

“Eung.” Sungyeol then cast a glare back at his guest. “So don’t complain about the food,” he commanded.

“Why would I?” this time Woohyun asked Myungsoo the question, but the other only shrugged in return.

Sungyeol lead them into a private room in the back of the restaurant. When he opened up the door, there were two women already inside. They had been talking, but as soon as the door opened, they stopped and whipped their heads around to see the newcomers. “So all that’s here are the girls: Bora and Shiwon,” Sungyeol said, pointing to each of the girls when he spoke their names.

“You sound so excited to have us here, Yeol,” Bora spoke with a slight sneer.

“Yay. Woot. Pretty girls,” Sungyeol said with an utter lack of enthusiasm. He then turned towards the couple. “I’m going to check the kitchen. Have fun,” he announced. He then grabbed Woohyun by the shoulders and pushed him further inside. “Everyone, this is Nam Woohyun. He a _musical_ actor,” the owner made the introductions and then escaped into the kitchen, leaving the couple to fend against the two hyenas alone.

Hyenas, that’s at least what Myungsoo called them. The two girls of their tight-knit group who liked to laugh loudly and at everything, and with menacing grins to match their names. Shiwon was the fiercer of the two and wasn’t afraid to bear her fangs at anyone, but she had a soft heart underneath her tough exterior. Myungsoo insisted that there was no one more loyal than Shiwon. Bora was milder, but only by a hair. While Shiwon had sharp claws, Bora had a sharp tongue, sharp enough to keep up with the boys’ cutting humor. She was also the mother of their little pack. She always knew what everyone was up to. Bora took care of her pups well.

Woohyun wasn’t prepared to take on these two yet. He was afraid that he’d get eaten alive.

Shiwon began the inquisition. She leaned forward, propping her chin up with her hands, grinning all the while. “A musical actor? How did you meet our Myungsoo?” she asked.

The couple sat down at the table. While they were sitting down, Woohyun exchanged a quick ‘glance’ with his boyfriend, and Myungsoo nodded in return, signaling for him to answer with the truth. Woohyun turned to the women and replied, “I met him when he brought his students to see my play for a field trip.” He recalled it like it was yesterday: Myungsoo, although a Math teacher, volunteered to bring his high school students to the musical version of the play they just read in Literature class. And the students were the best audience that Woohyun had in a long while, so he decided to return the favor and bring them backstage, their teacher too.

“He was great,” Myungsoo added. “He even took the kids backstage.” The women looked at each other and ooh-ed.

“Eh, it was nothing,” Woohyun feigned to dismiss the compliments, but he welcomed them gladly.

“What play was it?” Bora asked.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Woohyun answered.

“Oh!” Shiwon hummed. Her eyes lit up. “I remember reading that in school! Who were you? Demetrius? Lysander?” she guessed.

“Bottom,” Myungsoo replied for the actor. Woohyun lowered his head and grimaced. His face grew hot, hotter now that the hyenas were cackling at him. It wasn’t one of his more spectacular roles, but at least it wasn’t his most embarrassing. Thank goodness Myungsoo didn’t meet him when he had one of his cross-dressing roles (why was Woohyun always cast as the comedic relief rather than the handsome lead?). Myungsoo patted Woohyun’s shoulder. “He did well,” he praised loudly, trying to drown out the women’s laughter.

“Doesn’t he turn into an ass?” Shiwon pointed out.

There was no protecting Woohyun there. Myungsoo rubbed the back of his neck. “Yea,” he muttered. He probably wished that they hadn’t told the truth now too.

“Eh.” Bora gave Shiwon a light slap on her back. She then faced the couple with a warm smile. “It’s okay if it happens in a play, just as long as Woohyun-ssi doesn’t turn into an ass in real life,” she swooped in to protect the actor.

“Of course,” Shiwon agreed with a sharp nod. But she didn’t let the actor off the hook just yet: “So you must’ve thought Myungsoo was cute to take the kids backstage, huh?”

Woohyun stiffened, but the corner of his mouth quirked up. “No, the kids were cute,” he joked.

Myungsoo leaned against him and hissed, “You should say _I’m_ cute.”

Woohyun turned towards the other. “Should I?” he asked teasingly. Myungsoo nodded. Woohyun then indulged him and stroked the other underneath the chin. “Ojoojoo! Our little Myungsoo is a cutie,” he cooed.

Myungsoo slapped down the hand and turned away from the other. “You’re so weird,” he grumbled. Even though he was facing the other way, Woohyun noticed the dimple on his cheek, a sure sign that the teacher was smiling.

“You asked for it,” Woohyun reminded him.

“Cute,” Bora blurted out across from the table. Woohyun’s eyes flittered over to the women, and they were staring at them intently, tails practically wagging. Woohyun and Myungsoo weren’t acting any different than their usual selves. They typically played around like this. Of course, they were usually accompanied by Sungjong rather than two preying hyenas. But these two thought that they were dating, and they were buying Woohyun’s performance. He should be proud, right? Why was he feeling _odd_ about it?

“So what happened after the musical?” Bora continued the inquisition. “After Woohyun-ssi took them backstage?”

Crap, they hadn’t really plotted out the details of their ‘relationship,’ like how they got together, first kiss, anniversary, or whatever details the women would care to ask about. Thankfully, Myungsoo was quicker on his feet. He continued to tell the truth, like they had been doing: “He gave me his number.” Woohyun winced at that.

“Oooh,” the hyenas gasped in unison. “Why? Why? Why?”

“Because I thought he was cute,” the actor replied.

Shiwon clapped her hands together. “There it is!” she cheered, pleased with the answer. Bora was too. And the women broke out into a laugh soon after.

The teacher argued with Woohyun, “You said that it was for calling you so I could go backstage with the students again next time we’d go to a musical.”

“Yes, I said that,” Woohyun recalled. He fought back, “But you also messaged me first. That very night!” The women then turned their attention to their dear, old friend.

Their dear, old friend was growing flustered. “I told you that you did a good job and thank you for letting us go backstage,” he raised his voice.

“Yes, you did,” Woohyun agreed, tapping the other on the leg.

“So what I’m hearing is: Our Myungsoo thought the donkey was cute. And the donkey thought he was cute too,” Shiwon was summarizing their ‘love story.’ “They exchanged numbers. And then what else? Happily ever after?” But she wanted to hear more.

Unfortunately, Woohyun had no more to give. After they exchanged numbers, the two hadn’t talked in a month and only met up again because they had a common acquaintance in Sungjong. Apparently the theater’s in-house costume designer was a college classmate of Myungsoo’s. They met again during Sungjong’s birthday party and reconnected. And so Woohyun had nothing left to feed the women’s appetite for romance. “Yea, pretty much. It’s not a very exciting story,” he admitted.

“No, it’s romantic. And fitting,” Bora claimed. “Myungsoo likes guys who are passionate about what they do, and who show an interest in his students. It’s no wonder why he fell for you.”

Woohyun glanced at the other out of the corner of his eye. The teacher was taking a drink at the moment. “Ah, really?” the actor muttered.

Myungsoo set the glass down on the table roughly, gathering everyone’s attention. “Where’s everyone else?” he asked.

“Someone’s tired of being in the hotseat. Okay,” Shiwon concluded, putting her hands up, releasing the couple from the interrogation. “Hoya and his fiancé will be here soon.” Myungsoo reached for Woohyun’s hand after hearing that and gripped it tightly. Woohyun squeezed his back. This is what he was here for, the support. Shiwon continued, “They left Sunggyu’s place about 15 minutes ago. And Sunggyu’s…where is Sunggyu?” she directed the question to Bora.

“He’ll be here. He’s just tied up right now,” the den mother answered coolly.

“With what?”

“Stuff.”

“Yah,” Shiwon snapped at her. “It’s this type of avoidance which makes people think that you two are dating.”

While Shiwon was reprimanding her friend, the door slid open. Sungyeol slunk into the room, placed a couple of dishes piled high with food onto the table, and joined Shiwon in ribbing Bora: “I think that they have a secret family together and hyung’s putting the kids to bed right now.” All but Bora laughed at that joke, including Woohyun (he didn’t want to be left out. Plus Myungsoo’s laugh made him laugh, so it just came out).

“Haha very funny,” Bora’s voice was dripping with sarcasm and she glared at her friends. “I would never have kids with that guy,” she added and then shivered violently at the thought. Sunggyu must be an _interesting_ person in order for her to react like that, Woohyun concluded. But he had only heard glowing things from Myungsoo about the ‘dad’ of their small group. _Wait a second…a mom and a dad…_

“Can we put someone else in the hotseat?” Bora proposed. “Shiwon, how’s—”

“Don’t mention his name,” Shiwon cut her off and then chewed at a drumstick that she’d plucked from the plate. Woohyun gulped. She really looked like a hyena now.

“I guess that relationship’s over,” Sungyeol said with a low whistle as he slid in next to Myungsoo and across from Bora (conveniently also staying as far away from Shiwon right now as possible).

“What happened? Did he finally see how much of a thug you can be and dumped you? He was tired of getting beat up?” the voice came from behind them.

Shiwon’s mouth was ajar as she dropped the drumstick from her hand. Surprisingly her mouth turned up into a broad smile. “Hoya!” she shouted as she bolted up from her seat. Woohyun felt Myungsoo grow stiff at his side. His face was blank, but his hand around the actors gripped more tightly (Woohyun was going to loose all of his fingers at this rate). Curious to see who Myungsoo’s First Love was, Woohyun slowly craned his neck to look behind him. _Oh, so that’s what he looks like!_ In terms of stature, Hoya wasn’t that tall or that big. But what he lacked in size, he made up for in expression. His face was as fierce at the hyenas. In fact, he was cackling with Shiwon as she walked up to him. She then took his cheeks and played with them, smooshing his face. “I can’t even be mad at you because I’m so happy to see you!” she exclaimed.

Hoya’s hands flew to her cheeks, and he began to do the same with her face, pushing her cheeks together until her lips puckered. “Good to see you too, Shiwon,” he said. Shiwon then let go of his face, and he did the same. Hoya stepped into the room and said his greetings to all. “Bora, Sungyeol…Myungsoo, it’s good to see all of you again.” It wasn’t hard to notice that he stumbled over his ex’s name. Woohyun noted how his smile looked more like a grimace now than when he was laughing with Shiwon. He didn’t like it. Hoya was the one with the fiancé. There was no reason for him to be so nervous around Myungsoo.

Woohyun then stood up and introduced himself, “My name is Nam Woohyun. I’m Myungsoo’s boyfriend.”

Hoya took the actor’s hand and shook it with a firm grip. Woohyun squeezed his hand more tightly too, not wanting to lose to the other. “I heard that you’d be coming. It’s nice to meet you,” Hoya said with a smirk, gripping more tightly. Woohyun returned the gesture.

“We already met Woohyun. He’s old news,” Shiwon stated, patting Hoya roughly on the shoulder. The two let go of each other’s hands, and Woohyun tried to rub the feeling back into his fingers. He pouted. He didn’t think that the women would lose interest in him so quickly. He was already losing to the fiancé. In fact, Shiwon asked for the fiancé next: “Where’s your guy?”

“He should be coming back from the bathroom anytime now,” Hoya revealed, glancing behind him for any sign of his man.

“Howon-ah?” a lost voice called from several feet away.

Hoya seemed relieved after hearing that voice. His smile softened. “Oh that should be him,” he announced. “Hyung! We’re in here!”

“Found you!” the voice was followed by a head that suddenly popped into the room, which was followed quickly by a body. Woohyun had been taking a drink at the time when the fiancé walked in, and he felt the beer now dribble down his chin. He quickly mopped it up, regaining his composure. “Oh, hello everyone! My name is Yoon Taewoong.”

The fiancé was none other than Woohyun’s First Love.

* * *

Lee Howon, nicknamed cutely by his friends as ‘Hoya,’ Woohyun could see why Myungsoo had fallen for him all those years ago. _Myungsoo likes guys who are passionate about what they do_. Hoya had left school in order to pursue his dream as a performer, leaving everything behind, including Myungsoo. In return, Myungsoo admired him for chasing his dream. _And who show an interest in his students._ Hoya had been an idol for a few years, but when his group disbanded, Hoya then studied dance and opened up a dance school in Busan, teaching students of all ages.

Woohyun gritted his teeth while studying him. _Damn_. He could see them being together. Hoya seemed cordial and witty, even though most of his jokes fell flat, but when they landed, they hit big. And Myungsoo, he still seemed affected by being around his ex. The teacher only ate, which wasn’t odd for him to be so fixated on food. But it was odd that Myungsoo just kept eating and wasn’t even bothering to make conversation. The rest of the group was so busy catching up with Hoya and getting to know his fiancé that they didn’t notice Myungsoo sulking at the end of the table. But Woohyun did, and he tried to talk to Myungsoo. The teacher would only give one-word responses and then tell Woohyun to eat more.

However, Woohyun didn’t have an appetite. There was something off about Hoya, and it was sitting right next to him: his fiancé. The fiancé was Woohyun’s First Love, and he was exactly the same as he was in high school. The fiancé looked the same, acted the same, and even his laugh was the same. Woohyun felt drawn to him again. _What kind of messed up Fate is this for our First Loves to be together?_

But the fiancé also wasn’t Woohyun’s First Love at the same time. Woohyun was confused. Taewoong kept shooting nervous glances at Woohyun. _What is he up to?_

After enduring Woohyun’s analytical stares for a while, Taewoong announced that he had to go to the bathroom. Hoya had made a joke about it, and a forced laugh followed from the rest of the gang. But Woohyun didn’t hear it. The gears in his mind were meshing as he was plotting out what to do. Then they clicked. Woohyun got up and followed the fiancé into the bathroom.

Taewoong was already in a stall by the time Woohyun came in, so Woohyun washed his hands while he waited and then threw cold water onto his face. He wanted to make sure that this all wasn’t some messed up dream. But when he opened his eyes and saw his reflection in the mirror, Woohyun smiled sadly. This was just his messed up life, which was becoming more twisted and complex the longer that the night wore on.

His First Love wasn’t like Myungsoo’s. They never dated. It was unrequited. Woohyun knew that it would be but fell for him regardless. Woohyun couldn’t control his teenage heart. There was one specific reason why Woohyun could never be with his First Love, and yet…why was he with Hoya now?

Woohyun slapped his face a couple of times. Yup, this was still reality. He sighed.

Then the stall door swung open. Taewoong froze after seeing that he was not alone, that he was with Woohyun. It was tense for a moment, but then Woohyun broke it with an apology, “I’m sorry if I keep staring at you. You look exactly like someone that I knew from my high school, except for his name was _Jang Dongwoo_.”

The fiancé chuckled nervously as he walked up to the sink to wash his hands. “I get that a lot,” it was a lame excuse.  
Woohyun leaned against a nearby wall and crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes on the other. “Really? How many people from Busan know Jang Dongwoo from Guri?” he challenged.

The fiancé turned it off the sink and shook the water off his hands as he faced Woohyun with a wide grin. “I’m busted, aren’t I?”

“Yup,” Woohyun replied curtly. He chuckled a bit himself. He couldn’t believe that Dongwoo even tried to keep up the rouse in his presence. “Hyung, why are you here pretending to be someone else?” he asked while Dongwoo was wiping his hands dry. Dongwoo kept avoiding his gaze, obviously embarrassed by his actions. This was definitely not how the two envisioned reuniting with each other.

After a deep sigh, Dongwoo explained the situation, “Howon and I met in college. That’s where he met his fiancé too. The three of us were good friends. But then…they broke up. Last weekend.”

“Ouch,” Woohyun muttered. No matter how he might’ve felt about the ex, Woohyun was sympathetic enough to feel bad for him. It was a horrible thing to happen to anyone. Suddenly, the image of Hoya’s red-rimmed eyes flashed into Woohyun’s mind. He just supposed that Hoya was tired from the long trip to Busan, but perhaps, the ex’s eyes were red and tired from tears. “Must’ve been hard.”

“It was,” Dongwoo remarked, leaning against the sink now, facing his old classmate. He tilted his head, giving Woohyun a slightly menacing glare. “Even more so that he had to face another ex soon, who is happily in another relationship.”

Woohyun’s gaze dropped to his feet. The tables suddenly turned. Myungsoo was now the scary ex. _What does that make me? Should I come clean too?_ Dongwoo continued, “And that’s why I’m here. So we can pretend like everything is normal.”

“But it’s not,” Woohyun retorted. He raised his head and hit the back of it against the wall. He wasn’t the only actor on stage now. Should he just let this play continue? _No_. “Why doesn’t Hoya-ssi just come clean?” Woohyun suggested, meeting the other’s eyes again. Dongwoo just lowered his head and shook it from side-to-side with a heavy sigh. Woohyun’s eyes grew wide and his heart stopped. “D-does he still like Myungsoo?” he stammered.

“Does anyone really get over their First Love?” Dongwoo challenged. That was ironic coming from him because Dongwoo was Woohyun’s.

Woohyun slowly looked at the other from head-to-toe. He felt attracted still, yes, but it was different than what it used to be. He squared his shoulders against the other. “Yes, they do. With enough time,” he replied.

“Hoya needs just a little bit more. His heart is very weak right now,” Dongwoo defended his friend. Woohyun could understand that much, but then Dongwoo brought up something that surprised him: “You know the way that they ended things was left very open-ended. I think when they broke up, they had every intention of getting back together down the line.”

“Eh?” Woohyun gasped. His eyes darted back and forth as his mind worked things out. That was true. Myungsoo had mentioned it before when they were out with Sungjong one night, talking about their past relationships. ‘I wonder what would’ve happened, if Hoya hadn’t left Seoul,’ Myungsoo had said that. He still thought about Hoya. And now that Hoya was somewhat free…Woohyun huffed and ran his hand through his hair. Should he give up the act? Should he give up everything? _I should leave it up to Myungsoo to decide. This is his love life._

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Dongwoo said, but Woohyun couldn’t stop himself from worrying. Dongwoo then tossed the paper towel it the trash. Something gold flashed from his finger and caught Woohyun’s eye.

“Huh?” Woohyun reached over and grabbed at the other’s wrist, bringing it closer to his line of sight. There was a gold band around his ring finger. Hoya had one too, but this one was brighter and had small dents along the side. The gold was real, and judging by it’s distressed state, it had been on Dongwoo’s finger for a _long_ time. “Is this ring real? It looks different than Hoya-ssi,” Woohyun mentioned.

Dongwoo took his hand out of the other’s grasp but still raised it high for the other to see. “It’s my wedding ring,” he answered proudly.

“Congratulations,” Woohyun tried to sound happy for the other, but his teeth were gritted. There was a stab through his heart as he remembered why he and Dongwoo could never be: the other was straight. “Who’s the lucky girl?” he asked.

“Minseon,” Dongwoo answered. His eyes twinkled as he said her name.

“Minseon?! From our high school?”

“Yea. Not everyone gets over their first love, Namu,” Dongwoo retorted and stuffed a hands into his pockets. He then leaned in closer to Woohyun and put his free hand up to his lips. “Please don’t tell Myungsoo-ssi about this. I’m supposed to show that Howon is over him and make him jealous,” he whispered.

So Dongwoo, although caught red-handed, was going to continue his act and was now depending on the actor for a support. Woohyun ruffled his hair with both hands now. If Hoya wanted a rise from Myungsoo, he got it. Myungsoo was acting reticent, even though he was surrounded by his best friends. And just look at the lengths that Myungsoo and Woohyun went to in order to show Hoya that Myungsoo was over _him_. _What is this madness?_

“But he’s not over Myungsoo,” Woohyun concluded. He cocked his head and grimaced. Myungsoo appeared not to be over the other either. Woohyun’s stomach dropped.

“I think he is now, after seeing him with you.”

“Huh?” Woohyun looked the other in the eye. Dongwoo was being serious.

“You and Myungsoo make a great pair,” Dongwoo praised. “Very natural. Reminds me of me and my wife. It’s a deep bound that you two have.”

 _But it’s fake_ , Woohyun thought. Even though they didn’t really act differently, how other people interpreted his and Myungsoo’s interactions were completely different. _Confirmation bias_ , Woohyun assumed. But it left him feeling…unwell. “Thank you,” Woohyun spoke in a distracted voice. “I…I love him very much.” _Do I_?

“Ah, it’s more than just love, isn’t it?” Dongwoo continued. “If it’s anything like my wife and I, it’s not just loving, it’s living! You live for each other, right?”

Woohyun scoffed, “Jang Dongwoo, you’re how old and you still don’t make any sense.”

“I don’t?” Dongwoo responded with a giggle and a shrug. He walked over to the door and turned back to look at Woohyun one last time before he left. “But please. Let Howon have a fighting chance. He needs this closure,” he begged.

When the door closed, Woohyun let out a groan and loosened his tie, allowing him to breath more easily. He also rolled along the wall until his forehead was laying against it. He then hit his head against the wall repeatedly. He pulled his hair at the roots. In short, he lost his mind.

* * *

 

After a few minutes of agonizing over it, Woohyun decided that he was going to betray his First Love and tell Myungsoo. Hoya might’ve been having a hard time, but it was going to get harder the longer that this play continued. It was going to get hard for all of them.

So Woohyun returned to the table, determined to tell his friend about Dongwoo’s true identity. But with the others staring him down, where was there an opportunity for him to whisper the truth to Myungsoo? Every time he leaned in, Sungyeol spat at them to not look so lovey-dovey, that some of them were harboring broken hearts. At that, Shiwon would slap Sungyeol on the back of his head and urged the couple to continue, but Woohyun couldn’t. He felt uncomfortable now.

But then, an opportunity arose. Myungsoo excused himself to go to the bathroom. Woohyun was about to get up to join him, but Hoya jumped up first. With curious eyes, Woohyun watched Hoya follow his ex into the bathroom. Woohyun gnawed at his lip, wondering what to do next (and what those two were up to). He decided to just text the other about the situation: “That isn’t Taewoong. His name is Jang Dongwoo, an old classmate of mine. Taewoong broke up with Hoya last week. They’re pretending too. What should we do?” He then waited patiently for the other to come back.

When Myungsoo finally did, he looked a bit pale, and Hoya, following only a few steps behind him, was just the same. Woohyun watched the teacher carefully as he took his seat. After he sat down, Myungsoo immediately wrapped his arm around Woohyun waist and hid his face in the crook of his neck. Woohyun frowned and laid a hand over the one on his waist. _What happened?_ He wanted to ask, but instead he asked, “What should we do?”

“Eat,” Myungsoo answered plainly. “Drink.” Yet he did neither, only moving his head so that his cheek was resting against Woohyun’s shoulder. Woohyun sighed and took it as a sign that they were going to continue the act. He was going to take Myungsoo’s advice and drink. A lot. He grabbed his glass and drained the rest of his beer.

“Oh, look at who can drink!” Shiwon exclaimed. She reached over and clinked her glass with Woohyun’s empty one. “Sunggyu and I are gonna have to take you out one of these nights. Let’s see if you can keep up,” she challenged with a wink. But then a frown overtook her face as she turned towards Bora. “Yah, where is Sunggyu anyway?”

“He’ll be here,” Bora insisted. “He should be walking through the door any moment now.”

“You’ve been saying that for 30 minutes already,” Sungyeol whined. He then wiggled his eyebrows, “Is one of your children hard to put to bed?”

“We aren’t together!” Bora snapped at him. She then lowered her head to glare at him, grinning slyly. “You should know that.”

“A-ah! No I don’t! I don’t know what you two do with your free time,” Sungyeol stuttered, growing flustered. “Hey, Dong…ah, Taewoong-ssi! Why don’t you tell us what it’s like to date Hoya? I can’t imagine Hoya being lovey-dovey.”

Woohyun stiffened. _Did he just_ …”YAH!” Shiwon growled. Bora hid her face in her hands and shook her head at the other. Shiwon forced a smile onto her face and spoke through gritted teeth, “We already know what Hoya’s like as a boyfriend. Did you forget? Are you that dense?”

“Huh? OH!” Sungyeol finally realized the situation. At least Myungsoo came out from hiding, only to finish drink his beer, back turned to the rest of the group. Hoya hung his head, but his face was growing redder by the second.

“You meant as a fiancé, right Yeol?” Bora covered for the other. She then directed the conversation towards Dongwoo. “How’s the wedding planning going? Or commitment ceremony? Or whatever you two crazy kids are having?”

Dongwoo then rambled on about wedding plans, probably drawing from his own personal experience. Yes, Hoya picked the perfect person to play the fiancé. But Woohyun just drowned them all out. His eyes were fixed on Sungyeol now, who was whispering to Bora in a low voice, looking guilty. _I heard him say it, didn’t I? He almost said…_

“Oh! It’s Sunggyu!” Sungyeol announced, jumping up with his ringing phone in his hand. “He’s calling me! And not Bora! I need to take this.” He then left the private room.

Woohyun glanced over to his side at the teacher. While he was watching Sungyeol, Shiwon had changed seats and now was talking to Myungsoo. He seemed to be in better spirits. Woohyun looked at the others. Dongwoo and Hoya were still talking about wedding plans to Bora. This was his chance. Woohyun quietly slunk out of the room. Luckily, he managed to catch a glimpse of Sungyeol walking outside, with the phone attached to his ear. Woohyun followed the owner outside and waited by the door as he eavesdropped on the other’s conversation, while texting Myungsoo that Sungyeol might know too. Unfortunately, he only caught the tail end of his conversation.

“Hurry up!” Sungyeol barked. “They’re catching on. You’re better at talking than I am. I need you to distract them…Eung…Okay see you in 5.” He then hung up the phone and put it into his pocket. He spun around on his heels. “ACK!” he yelped, catching sight of Woohyun. His hand flew to his chest, gripping at his racing heart. “What are you doing out here?” he asked while panting.

Woohyun decided just to cut to the chase: “You know that Taewoong isn’t Taewoong, that he’s Dongwoo.”

Sungyeol stiffened and narrowed his eyes on the other curiously. “Wait…how do you know?” he answered back with another question.

Woohyun huffed. “Dongwoo and I went to high school together.”

“Shit,” Sungyeol cursed. “You’re kidding me?”

“No,” Woohyun replied bluntly.

Sungyeol brought himself closer to the other and pleaded, “Please don’t tell Myungsoo! He doesn’t need to know! And Hoya doesn’t need to know about you two either! Let’s just keep this _all_ under wraps. It’s better like this.”

“I thought you said that you were on _our_ team!” Woohyun yelled. He couldn’t believe that the deception ran this deep, even the best friend was in on it.

“I still am!” Sungyeol insisted. “I’m on _both_ teams. I’m neutral. I’m Switzerland.”

Woohyun sneered, “Switzerland had the common decency to stay out of it.” Sungyeol had been in the front lines for both sides and now had gotten himself caught in the crossfires.

“B-but,” Sungyeol stammered as he searched for an explanation. “They both had good reasons to lie! I was just trying to help!”

Woohyun ran his hand through his hair in frustration. All Sungyeol did was help create a bigger mess. “Why can’t you people just tell the truth?” Woohyun lamented. “What has lying ever done for anyone? It only makes things more complicated.”

Sungyeol snorted, “This is _rich_ coming from an actor. You lie for a living.”

That was it. Sungyeol had just wasted the last of Woohyun’s patience. And now the actor finally snapped. “You, die!” Woohyun shouted before lunging at the other. He had to jump up to wrap his arms around Sungyeol’s neck (damn tall kid), but Woohyun managed to get him into a headlock. To get out of the hold, Sungyeol kept biting at his arm and stomping on Woohyun’s foot. Eventually Woohyun let him go, but when he did, he kicked at Sungyeol’s legs. The tall man fell down like a tree. Woohyun jumped on top of him, ready to chop him into pieces like a lumberjack.

But before Woohyun could land his first hit, two arms hook underneath his armpits and Woohyun was lifted off from Sungyeol. “What’s going on?” someone barked into his ear. The stranger let go of Woohyun and stepped in between the actor and Sungyeol. He pointed a finger at Woohyun menacingly. “Who are you?” he demanded. “Why are you guys fighting?”

Sungyeol wiped his mouth as he answered, “Sunggyu, meet Nam Woohyun.” He then looked Sunggyu straight in the eye. “He knows.”

Sunggyu nodded to Woohyun. “Hey,” he muttered out a curt greeting before turning towards his friend. “Knows what?”

“Dongwoo.”

“Shit,” Sunggyu cursed as he hung his head and kicked at the ground.

“You knew too?!” Woohyun exclaimed, clenching his shaking fists. “Who doesn’t know?”

Neither of them answered to Woohyun directly, they faced each other instead. “I told Bora yesterday,” Sunggyu told Sungyeol.

“I told Shiwon,” Sungyeol replied.

“So everyone knows!” Woohyun yelled, but the two still weren’t looking at him. They were having a silent conversation with each other, speaking through their eyes.

But then they finally turned towards the actor and spoke in unison, “You can’t tell Myungsoo.”

Woohyun pulled at the roots of his hair again. This night was going to make him bald. “Why not?” he challenged (little did the two of them know that he’d already told Myungsoo).

“Because we _know_ him, and if he knew, then he might think he has a chance. It’s for your benefit!” Sunggyu argued, stepping closer to the actor and wagging his finger in Woohyun’s face. “He and Hoya shouldn’t be together.”

Woohyun shoved Sunggyu away from him. “Why shouldn’t they?” he combatted.

Sunggyu didn’t fight back. He cocked his head. “That’s a weird thing for a boyfriend to say,” he muttered under his breath.

Sungyeol walked up to Sunggyu and whispered loudly into his ear, “Woohyun and Myungsoo aren’t really dating.”

“WHAT?!” Sunggyu gasped. He then began pulling at his own hair. Great, Woohyun wouldn’t be the only one going bald from tonight. “Aish. Is there anyone here who is actually dating?” he asked.  
Sungyeol rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the ground. “I don’t know,” he mumbled.

Woohyun crossed his arms over his chest. “If Myungsoo and Hoya-ssi want to be together, that’s their prerogative,” he stated.

Sunggyu dismissed the other with a wave of his hand. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he declared. He then gestured between him and Sungyeol. “We know the two of them better than you do. It _won’t_ work out. This for the best.” He turned to Sungyeol. “I’m going in.” And Sunggyu went inside.

Sungyeol soon followed after, but not before he patted Woohyun on the shoulder and urged him, “Yea trust us.”

Woohyun glared at the two as they walked inside and watched the door slam shut behind them. “I don’t,” he grumbled. He then pulled out his phone. It was time to send Myungsoo another text.

“They ALL know.”

* * *

Woohyun stayed outside for a few more minutes in order to cool off. These weren’t the friends that Woohyun imagined himself meeting. Myungsoo made them sound like they were gods amongst men. In high school, they saved him from a lonesome existence and took him underneath their wing. And their tight bond did not dissolve over the years. They were even able to keep in touch with Hoya over a group chat. Myungsoo had been proud of that, that he and Hoya could still remain amicable in spite of being exes. And Hoya, he was the only one that Woohyun didn’t dislike entirely. All he was guilty of was having a broken heart.

The actor closed his eyes tightly and sighed. Did _he_ want those two to get back together? This whole night, Woohyun wasn’t even pretending, and everyone thought that he and Myungsoo were a couple. Woohyun _felt_ like they were a couple. And now these feelings suffocating him right now…Woohyun hit his chest with a clenched fist, trying to dislodge them. Frustrated, Woohyun was entirely frustrated right now with everything. He just wanted this night to end.

But it wasn’t over. He had to go back inside. And after taking one last deep breath of the cold night air, Woohyun sobered up and walked inside. When he opened the door to the private room, everyone was laughing happily and chatting as if nothing was amiss. Woohyun scanned the room as he took the seat next to Myungsoo. Myungsoo grinned at him and patted him on the back, welcoming him. Maybe Woohyun was worried for no reason. Maybe this bond between the group was stronger than he gave it credit for.

“What took you so long?” Myungsoo asked Sunggyu. “We were joking that you were with the kids.”

“I have kids?” Sunggyu scoffed. “Nah, I was stuck at work. I wanted to finish up the report tonight, so I could free up my weekend,” he revealed. He took a long gulp from his beer before setting it down and pointing at Myungsoo. “I sent you texts too. I asked you some questions.”

“Oh really?” Myungsoo mumbled as he pulled out his phone from his jacket pocket.

“You had it on airplane mode again, didn’t you?” Sunggyu guessed.

“Eung,” Myungsoo grunted as he changed the settings on his phone. His phone then rang, telling him that he received messages. Myungsoo glanced at Woohyun out of the corner of his eye and smiled broadly. “Oh, I got texts from you.”

 _Wait, he didn’t read any of my texts yet?_ Woohyun slowly faced his friend, terrified. All this while, Myungsoo wasn’t pretending not to know. He honestly did not know. Woohyun gulped as he watched the smile fade from Myungsoo’s face as he read the messages.

When Myungsoo had finished reading the messages, his gaze automatically fell on his ex. “Hoya, you were…” He swallowed the rest of that and glanced over at Dongwoo. “You’re not his fiancé? All of you knew?” His panicked gaze flew all over the table, until it lastly fell back down on the phone.

“Ow!” Woohyun yelped. Sungyeol had kicked him from underneath the table. “What?” Woohyun barked at him, while massaging his shin. “He had to know! Did you think you guys could just keep this from him forever?” He then delivered a sharp kick back at Sungyeol.

“AH!” Sungyeol screamed and winced in pain. “He didn’t need to know,” he excused himself. “Besides, it’s not like you two aren’t doing the same thing!”

“What?” everyone else began muttering (all except Myungsoo who was still staring at his phone).

Sungyeol pointed to the couple. “They aren’t really dating!” he revealed.

“WHAT?!”

“Myungsoo, is that true?” Hoya asked, his eyes wide in shock.

Myungsoo looked up from his phone again. “Yes, but…” he muttered, but he couldn’t find the words to finish that thought. He had nothing else to say to Hoya, for now. But Myungsoo had some words for the rest of them. “You all knew? Why…why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell me that the engagement was off? That’s…that’s important. I should know. He’s my friend too.”

“Myungsoo…” Sungyeol began but the words caught in his throat as soon as Myungsoo stood up and left the room without a word.

Dongwoo looked about nervously. He probably felt partially responsible. “Should I go apologize?” he suggested, ready to spring out of his seat and go after the teacher.

Sunggyu waved him off with his glass in hand. “Leave him be. He needs time to cool off. He’ll come to us when he’s ready,” he stated before (oh so) casually taking a drink from his glass.

And that just ticked Woohyun off, that casualness. He scoffed, “Cool off?!” He got up abruptly from his seat. “Cool off?! God!” he shouted. “ _All_ of you were in on this. Did you even _think_ of Myungsoo?”

Sungyeol stood up too, ready for round two. “Of course we did. That’s why we—”

“Really?” Woohyun cut him off. “The Myungsoo who treasures friendship and loyalty above all else?” he challenged. And Sungyeol backed off a bit at that. Woohyun turned his focus to all of them. “I hear him talk about you guys with such admiration. He always says how great you guys are, how you guys support each other no matter what, always there through thick and thin like actual family. And you all just _lied_ to his face.”

This time, Sunggyu spoke up, “We thought—”

Woohyun interrupted again, “You thought that he was the old shy Myungsoo from high school. The one who ate lunch everyday with his math teacher in his first year until you all ‘rescued’ him. And in case you aren’t aware. That Myungsoo is long gone! He grew up! He isn’t the same innocent Myungsoo who needed to be protected from the big, bad world. And he _surely_ isn’t the same Myungsoo who fell in love with Lee Howon,” Woohyun ended, eyes fixed on Hoya, breathing heavily after finishing his rant. Hoya flinched and dropped his gaze to his lap.

Woohyun then looked around the table and everyone had either dropped their gaze or were staring at him blankly. The actor sighed. “You guys can wait here for him to come back all you want, but I’m going after him.” He then left the private room once again.

After a few moments of silence, Sunggyu broke it. “Are you sure they aren’t dating?” he asked Sungyeol.

The owner cocked his head, narrowing his eyes on the door. “That’s what they said, but now I’m not too sure,” he replied softly.

Sunggyu nodded and then sang, “These days, it feels like you’re mine, it seems like you’re mine but not.”

The rest of them joined in: “It feels like I’m yours, it seems like I’m yours but not.

These days, I hate hearing that I’m just like a friend.”

* * *

Woohyun cursed under his breath as he stepped outside. Shouting at Myungsoo’s friends probably wasn’t the smartest thing, especially considering that he and Myungsoo were sort of lying too (no matter how real it felt). But Woohyun had gotten so worked up, so defensive, that he couldn’t help it. They were all supposed to be good friends. Myungsoo would have wanted to know if one of his dear, old friends was going through a rough time. He deserved to know. He’d want to be there. But everyone had downgraded his status from friend to ex, practically making an enemy out of him while Hoya was the victim. Even after being friends for all of these years, he was just Hoya’s ex.

“Where did you go, Myungsoo-yah?” Woohyun muttered as he scanned the area. But then he saw it. The overhead lights were on inside of Myungsoo’s car. After squinting, Woohyun could make out a figure leaning up against the window. “There you are,” he said with a slight smile.

But he wouldn’t go to Myungsoo just yet. Woohyun might not have known Myungsoo for years like the rest, but he knew the teacher well enough and knew how to get Myungsoo to let him in. Woohyun went to the nearest café and picked up drinks for the both of them. A few minutes later, Woohyun was back in the parking lot and standing next to the window of Myungsoo’s car. Woohyun could hear soft music playing in the car, muffled by the glass. And Myungsoo’s hair was pressed against the window. The teacher had no idea that Woohyun was right there; he was just spacing out, listening to the music. Woohyun put a small smile on his face and knocked on the window. Myungsoo jumped up, startled. He whipped his head and saw Woohyun, who waved at him. With a blank face, Myungsoo rolled down the window. “What?” he mumbled.

“Chamomile tea to help you calm down,” Woohyun answered while handing the other the cup through the window. Myungsoo took it. “Can I come in?”

Without dropping his gaze from the other or saying a word, Myungsoo unlocked the car doors. Woohyun was relieved at the sound of the lock. He walked around the car to the passenger side door as quickly as he could before the other could change his mind. He opened the door and slid into the seat. He put his own cup into the cupholder. Myungsoo, who was watching the other settle in, gestured over to the cup and asked, “What’s that?”

“Same as yours,” Woohyun muttered as he picked the cup back up and took off the lid. He needed to calm down too. His heart was racing. He took a drink from the cup, burning his tongue in the process, but just the scent soothed him. Woohyun glanced back over to the other. Myungsoo was facing forward again, staring straight ahead blankly. _What is he thinking?_ Woohyun thought. He dropped his gaze back to the cup in his hands. The only thing that could be heard was the song playing over the radio.

_In a few years later, after today_

_After all the time has gone by_

_Would each of us have become our own person_

_and be living well_

Without realizing it, Woohyun was singing along to the song softly. He only knew that he was because Myungsoo turned off the radio and he had continued singing for a few bars. The teacher looked over to the other with that same blank stare. Woohyun met his gaze. “Sorry,” the actor muttered under his breath. Myungsoo was probably still upset. Maybe his friends were right to wait. It was naïve of Woohyun to think that he knew Myungsoo better than his childhood friends.

“Hyung is really the only one that I have,” Myungsoo finally spoke and leaned over, enveloping the other in his tight embrace. The teacher hid his face in the crook of Woohyun’s neck again, seeking comfort. And Woohyun was more than happy to give it. He hugged the other back and patted Myungsoo gently on the back.

“Eh, don’t say that,” he lightly chided the other.

He felt Myungsoo shake his head slightly in defiance. “Hyung is the only one here,” Myungsoo argued and hugged him more tightly.

While it was true, Woohyun wasn’t going to admit it. He didn’t want drive a wedge further between Myungsoo and his other friends. And it might’ve been because Woohyun was silent, but Myungsoo let the other go and pulled away. He let out a huff, blowing his bangs out of his face. Woohyun helped him with that and pushed Myungsoo’s bangs to the side with his finger. After that, he smoothed down the rest of Myungsoo’s hair that had been mussed after being pressed against the glass for so long. “How are you feeling?” Woohyun asked.

Myungsoo winced. “Upset…embarrassed,” he replied. He then groaned and hid his face in his hands. “I can’t believe I walked out like that. When I go back, ugh, it’s going to be awkward. Aish,” his rant was muffled by his hands.

“I would’ve done the same in your position,” Woohyun tried to console him. “Hell, I would’ve done worse. I would’ve thrown things, hit something. You were very good.” Woohyun chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

But Myungsoo remained somber. He shook his head and dropped his hands away from his face. “No, no I wasn’t,” he argued. “They meant well. They didn’t mean to hurt anybody.”

Woohyun frowned deeply. “They cared more about Howon’s feelings than they did yours,” he pointed out.

Myungsoo rolled his head around and looked at Woohyun. “He just got dumped. I understand why they did,” he reasoned. He shifted awkwardly in his seat before continuing, “Besides, they didn’t think you were my friend.” He phrased that carefully.

“That’s no excuse,” Woohyun debated.

“Maybe,” Myungsoo gave in, facing forward again. He crossed his arms over his chest. “But I understand.”

Woohyun stared at the other for a few moments. His fingers tore at the rim of his cup. The actor fought with himself internally whether to bring this up or not, but his curiosity eventually won him over. “Howon’s not dating anyone now.”

Myungsoo sank in his seat and his chin touched his chest. “I know. I can’t believe his fiancé left him like that,” he grumbled.

“That’s not what I meant,” there was an edge in Woohyun’s voice. He hated being so sensitive but his nerves had been rubbed raw. “Do you still like him? He was your First Love. This could be your second chance. It could be Fate,” he said.

Fate, that would explain why this night was so twisted, like threads on a tapestry woven carefully together. There has to be attachment between them, Woohyun concluded. There had too be some lingering attachment between Myungsoo and Hoya or else the friends wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to try to keep them apart.

“I do,” Myungsoo admitted. Woohyun let out a shaky breath. He was afraid of that. His gaze dropped to his cup. He’d be needing something far stronger than tea to deal with this.

“But it’s a different kind of ‘like,’” Myungsoo finished his thought.

Woohyun’s head snapped back up. “What do you mean?” he asked.

Myungsoo smirked as the searched for the right words in his head. His hands moved in his lap as he thought, as if he could pluck the words from the air. “It’s similar to liking a dream or a memory. Oh! Fond!” he exclaimed with a snap of his fingers. “Fond, might be a better word. I’m fond of who he was and who we once were. Does that make sense?” he asked Woohyun, staring at him directly. Woohyun gave a short nod even though he was more lost than ever. Myungsoo was pleased with that response. “But, I don’t really know who he is now. So I don’t really ‘like’ him,” he confessed.

“Do you like me?” Woohyun blurted out. Myungsoo froze. “Or are you just fond of me too?”

Myungsoo moved again, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. He was flustered. His gaze darted all over the place. “I, uh…” he stammered. “I’m not fond. Not like that. How could I? We never dated.”

Woohyun grinned. “Do you want to date me?” he asked coyly.

“Oh,” Myungsoo muttered and looked over at the other. “Can I?” he asked honestly. At that, Woohyun broke into a boisterous laughter, throwing his head back onto the headrest. Myungsoo got caught up and laughed along. “What?” the teacher asked. Woohyun bit his lip, trying to stifle his laughter, but when he looked over and their eyes met, Woohyun broke out into another peal of laughter. Myungsoo’s face fell flat. “What?” he repeated in a serious tone.

Woohyun took in a deep breath, calming himself down, and the laughter soon abated. He turned to Myungsoo, smiling brightly. “You can. I want you to,” he replied. He leaned over, lips inches away from the other, and whispered lowly, “I like you.”

Myungsoo closed the gap, kissing Woohyun softly before breaking it just to say: “I _like_ you too.”

* * *

“Where do you think they went?” Sungyeol asked the other. He and Sunggyu volunteered to go look for the couple after the two didn’t come back for a long while. Woohyun had a point: Myungsoo was a different person now, which meant they had to treat him differently too. They were all adults, and they should’ve handled this in a mature manner. They were going to start now.

Sunggyu scanned the area outside of the restaurant. “I bet they didn’t go far. Myungsoo always comes back. Oh!” he gasped after his eyes caught something. He tapped the other and then pointed over to the car with its light on in the parking lot. Sunggyu grinned. “I found him!”

The two jogged over to the driver side window and almost immediately regretted it. “OH MY GOD!” Sungyeol exclaimed and jumped to hide behind Sunggyu. They had just caught Myungsoo and Woohyun making out. They were grown ups, all right. The two immediately disentangled from each other and looked up at the intruders, absolutely horrified. Sunggyu and Sungyeol waved to them awkwardly.

“Sorry! You’re busy!” Sunggyu yelled loudly so that they could hear him through the window.

Sungyeol’s head popped over Sunggyu’s shoulder. “We’ll come back later,” he added.

Sunggyu spun around and shoved the other. “NO! No we won’t,” he corrected him. Sunggyu then went back to the couple. “Just come to say goodbye, okay?” He then walked away, dragging the other away with him.

“Man, it’s a good thing we made Hoya stay behind. Could you imagine?” Sungyeol mused aloud.

Sunggyu was rubbing his temples furiously. “Ah! Shut up!” he yelled. “I wanna erase this from my mind!”

Woohyun laughed, not knowing what else to do in this situation. “Wow, they’re kind of loud,” he commented, trying to turn it all into a joke.

“AH!” Myungsoo screeched. His hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly, and he was shaking his body back and forth, his mind quickly falling into pieces. He let go of the wheel but started to kick his feet in his tantrum. “I’m not going. Not now. Not ever. I’m not getting out of this car. ARGH! I wanna die!” He was wrapping the seat belt around his neck.

“Okay,” Woohyun said with a chuckle. He leaned over and removed the seat belt from the teacher’s neck. “Then I’ll tell them we’re leaving,” he offered. He then pecked Myungsoo on the cheek. “I’ll be back,” the actor said before getting out of the car. Woohyun slammed the car door shut and heard another door slam shortly after. He spun around to see Myungsoo standing outside of the car too. “I thought you didn’t wanna come,” Woohyun stated as he walked over to the other.

“I don’t, but I have to,” Myungsoo admitted before heaving a great sigh.

Woohyun wrapped his arm around the other’s waist as soon as he reached him. He felt Myungsoo immediately lean on him for support, both physical and moral. Woohyun grinned. “Let’s go!” he said happily. He was glad to walk back into the restaurant no longer _playing_ at the boyfriend. This, whatever he and Myungsoo were right now, this was the role he was born for.

* * *

When they came back into the private room, Sungyeol was awaiting him with a fresh round of drinks, the last one to top off the night. They all needed to take the edge off after such a hectic reunion.

“I swear that we’re not _always_ like this,” Sungyeol said as he handed Woohyun a beer.

“I wish we could say that we’re _never_ like this,” Hoya added. He took a sip and then sucked air through his teeth before setting it down. “I swear that we’re decent people, Woohyun-ssi.”

“The jury is still out on that,” Woohyun teased. “I’m kidding. Tonight was…interesting.”

“For us, ‘interesting’ is good,” Bora joked. Sungyeol handed her a beer, but she waved it off. “None for me, thanks.”

Sungyeol was about to bring the drink back, but then Shiwon plucked it out of his hands. “I’ll take hers!” she graciously offered, even though she already had a full drink in her other hand. She then took a drink from both, claiming them as hers. She giggled proudly before turning to Bora. “I just noticed something,” Shiwon stated as she furrowed her brows. “Bora, you haven’t drunk anything all night, right?”

“Yup,” Bora replied, sipping from her glass of water.

“Are you pregnant?”

“EH?!” Everyone gasped at that question, and a loud thump resounded throughout the room.

Bora laughed loudly. “No,” she denied. “I’m just taking Korean medicine. I want to be healthy.”

“You guys,” Dongwoo spoke out. Everyone turned towards him. Dongwoo was oddly staring down at something on the floor. “Sungyeol passed out. He just fainted when Shiwon asked if she was pregnant.” Everyone leaned back or forward and caught a glimpse of Sungyeol laying on the floor, tongue hanging out of his mouth. Slowly, they all then turned back to Bora.

“EH?!”

Shiwon slapped Bora sharply on the back. “Yah! You two are dating?! Why didn’t you tell me?” she yelled, hitting her friend with every word. “I’m your best friend!”

“OW!” Bora yelped, now laying flat on the table, eyes shut tight. “This is why I don’t tell you things!”

“I’m like this because you don’t tell me things!” Shiwon snapped back.

“Don’t kill her. She’s with child!” Hoya egged them on, smiling at the scene in amusement.

Myungsoo sighed, shaking his head. He then leaned over to Woohyun and said, “I’ll wake Sungyeol up and tell him he isn’t a dad…yet.” After that, Myungsoo got up in order to help his best friend regain consciousness.

Woohyun looked back at the ‘mother.’ Bora was now hugging a crying Shiwon, who kept muttering how happy she was for Bora. The actor’s eyes moved down the line. Hoya was whispering to Dongwoo. He probably (finally) said something witty because the two of them started laughing. And lastly, Woohyun’s eyes fell on Sunggyu, who was staring back at him. Sunggyu clinked his glass with Woohyun’s.

“Woohyun-ssi, welcome to the family,” he said.

Woohyun’s gaze flittered over to Myungsoo who was helping Sungyeol up. Yea, Kim Myungsoo was worth all of the crazy that came along with him. Myungsoo was well worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Songs: "Destiny" by Lovelyz; "Some" by Soyu and Junggigo; Block B's "A Few Years Later"


End file.
